To strike or bite with the beak, as birds do. Also means to kiss lightly or briefly, or to eat in small amounts.
From Middle English 'pekken,' possibly imitative of the sound made by a bird's beak striking something. The kissing sense developed by analogy to a bird's quick, light striking motion.
Pecking order, now used to describe social hierarchies, was actually coined by studying chicken behavior in the 1920s. Researchers discovered that chickens establish dominance through literal pecking, creating a remarkably stable social structure that rarely requires enforcement once established.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.